ELDERLY PERSONS LIVING ALONE (Safeguarding well-being and safety)

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ELDERLY PERSONS LIVING ALONE:

(Safeguarding well-being and safety): 13.

Mr Ang Mong Seng asked the Minister for Community Development and Sports in view of the increasing number of aged persons living by themselves and the recent news of an elderly person whose death at home had gone unnoticed for days, (a) how many elderly persons are either living alone or with their elderly spouse in 2003; (b) what home visitation schemes are in place; and (c) what personal devices can be issued to monitor their safety and minimise the number of similar cases from recurring.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the Census 2000 report indicates that 6.6% of Singapore residents who are aged 65 years and above, live on their own. Another 13.9% live with their elderly spouse.

I share the Member's concern about elderly individuals living alone who may not get help in time should they need it. As more elderly come to live on their own, it is important for us to build stronger community support and involvement to safeguard their safety and well-being.

Sir, my Ministry is setting up various services to help the elderly age in place in familiar surroundings. Currently, three different types of services supported by MCDS offer visitation and regular contacts with elderly living on their own. These are the Befriender Services, the outreach programmes conducted by local Seniors Activity Centres and

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Neighbourhood Links, and Home Help Services. Apart from these MCDS-supported services, there are Home Medical and Home Nursing services for the homebound elderly in need of medical care.

While different services have their specific focus, each one provides the critical service of "keeping an eye" on the elderly at home. Volunteer befrienders of the Lions Befrienders Service Association pay regular visits to poor and lonely elderly in the community. There are 3,900 elderly in the programme today. Twenty Seniors Activity Centres and 10 Neighbourhood Links have been set up so far in various neighbourhoods, particularly those with more elderly residents. The centre staff and the volunteers help to engage the elderly living in their area. They maintain a register of frail elderly, especially those living alone within their vicinity. With their permission, the staff or volunteers visit these elderly regularly. My Ministry plans to increase the number of Neighbourhood Links to 20 by 2005 to reach out to more of our elderly. Nine Home Help Services are available for the elderly who need help in their day-to-day activities at home, including hot meals, personal care services, laundry, housekeeping and escort for medical appointments. Today, more that 1,100 elderly are being served island-wide.

Since 1993, my Ministry has worked closely with the HDB on its "Project to Improve the Living Conditions of the Elderly" at 1-room rental flats. The project undertook physical upgrading to make the units elder-friendly and safe for the many elderly residents there. The HDB also installed an Alert Alarm System (AAS) that is manned by a suitable Seniors Activity Centre or Neighbourhood Link. The system allows the elderly to call for help simply by tugging a string, and is available at all units occupied by the elderly. For the less ambulant or non-ambulant and homebound elderly, the HDB may also issue a personal wireless

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alarm transmitter that can be worn, either as a necklace or on the wrist. It can be used to activate the same AAS, if the elderly cannot reach the pull cords.

Sir, my Ministry will continue to work with other Government agencies and community organisations to better reach out to our elderly. However, the best efforts may still have gaps, if friends and neighbours do not also play their part in looking out for the isolated elderly in their midst. Community organisations, like Neighbourhood Links, will continue to engage the more ambulant elderly in their area to volunteer in community activities and provide a wider reach. Together, Sir, I am confident we can strengthen the community network for the support, assistance and monitoring of the well-being of the elderly living on their own.

Assoc. Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang (Nominated Member): Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether his Ministry is satisfied with the standard of training that service providers in Seniors Activity Centres are receiving, such that they could assist older persons living alone in 1-room flats, even with the improved housing conditions, in a more effective way. There was an incident publicised recently where a person with a Seniors Activity Centre at his block could still go unnoticed for so many days after his demise.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, we are quite satisfied with the training programmes that are being provided for the various centres catering to the elderly.

With respect to the case that the hon. Member has mentioned, it was an unusual case where this particular elderly was actually registered with the activity centre but he chose not to attend any of the programmes and he was alone and aloof, and remained outside the community. So, I think the system which we have in place

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- we ask them for their permission as to whether we can go and visit them - is still valid. The question is whether or not we should make the effort on our own to go knocking door-to-door is something that we have to ask. This is currently being done by volunteers already through the Befrienders' scheme, but perhaps we could step up more such efforts, especially in areas where there are elderly living on their own.